My solar pump is still going (strong? Well, perhaps not strong…) and keeping the pond aerated enough for the goldfish to have flourished, after a fashion.
I’m going to call them koi. I think they are not officially koi, but this is an unorganized township, and I can call them whatever I want (except for chom choms, that’s been taken…)
Enough chit-chat though, today while I was down at the pond, I realized that they were no longer scattering in fear at my approach, and that gave me a good chance to examine them a bit more closely.
I paid $3.00 in the spring for the extra deluxe pack of 15 goldfish. For the past few months, we have never seen more than five. I suspect some untoward things happening to the missing ten, but I never saw any bodies…
Grandpa did point out that he saw a very large, very happy garter snake skulking around the pond midsummer, so perhaps it was enjoying my sushi buffet?
In any case, $3.00 for five rather large fish seems like not such a bad deal now. Kenny and Donna and myself often enjoy the excuse to get outside the cabin when we are feeling a bit stir crazy. Keeping tabs on them has become a regular part of our routine.
We will see if I can get them to overwinter though… I feel it’s unlikely, but I’ll make the effort.
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| You can see them congregating at the shore. |
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| The four most social I guess. |
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| Still hanging together. |
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| A bit more close up. They look much larger in person! I like the reflection of the nearby pines. |